TikTok Philippines does not conform to mass reporting activities when regulating content on the video-sharing service.
Kristoffer Rada, head of Public Policy of TikTok Philippines, explained this to Interaksyon during an event about digital literacy on Thursday, July 7.
Rada was asked about claims that TikTok videos get removed due to mass reporting.
“Hindi totoo yang mass reporting na yan because each report is evaluated on its merit,” he said.
Rada further explained the grounds of fake news on TikTok.
“Ang ibig sabihin ng fake news. It goes against the known truths or the established facts. It doesn’t mean na kakaiba yun sa paniniwala mo, hindi ibig sabihin fake news yun. And that is why we want to promote digital literacy,” he said.
On multiple reports, Rada considered that they may be of help to increase a video’s chance to be reviewed.
“Siguro lang mas maraming chances na ma-review yung potential violations of community guidelines because there are more people reporting, there are more eyes looking at that particular piece of content,” he said.
The representative stressed that this matter still does not reflect TikTok’s “quality of moderation.”
“But it does not in any way reflect the quality of moderation because each video is moderated on its own merit. Meaning if it is truly a violation, we will [take] action upon it. However, if it is not, then, you know, we will let it remain [on the platform],” he added.
Some Filipinos often see mass reporting as the reason why their videos or their entire accounts were removed from the application.
Woke up to a very bad news, na-ban yung tiktok ko. Targeted mass reporting. I don’t know how to start again ☹️
— Renz Saavedra (@SirRenzSaavedra) June 29, 2022
Last month, a reporter’s video on commuting in Metro Manila was flagged on the video-sharing service as “dangerous” content.
Some Redditors blamed the video’s removal to those who reported it multiple times to TikTok’s moderators.
READ: Filipinos’ commuting exercises get flagged on Tiktok as ‘dangerous content’
In May 2021, a TikTok creator’s account was banned after a group of people reported one of her videos for hate speech against another personality.
JAM MAGNO BANNED AGAIN ON TIKTOK
LOOK: TikTok has banned Jam Magno for multiple violations of its Community Guidelines.
Before the ban, Magno had over 580,000 followers on TikTok. pic.twitter.com/4iqZ2rH58k
— Daily Guardian (@dailyguardianph) May 19, 2021
TikTok became the go-to hub for entertainment and recreations for many Filipinos since the tough lockdowns due the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
TikTok’s Wellness Hub
The event called “TikTok Digital Literacy Hub: A Guide to Online Safety” discussed strategies and approaches on how TikTok users, particularly the youth, can use the application safely and effectively.
During the forum, the company introduced its “TikTok Wellness Hub: Digital Literacy Edition,” an in-app space where uses can learn how to stay safe and keep the community safe from harmful information.
It offered the following four-step approach in dealing with potentially harmful videos:
- Stop – Pause for a moment.
- Think – Is it harmful? Is it real?
- Decide – Don’t do it (dangerous challenges or activities) if it’s risky or harmful, or you’re not sure if it is.
- Act – Report harmful or inappropriate content. Don’t post or share them.
You can access the wellness hub through this link: TikTok Wellness Hub
The following guests during the event are:
- Rada
- Ching Jorge – Chief of Party of Youth Leadership for Democracy (YouthLed)
- Gian Libot – Senior Program Officer of Internews
- Mona Veluz – Magno (Mighty Magulang) – TikTok content creator
The host was former Filipino-American actress Antoinette Taus, who is also a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Environment Programme.